The Truth About Manual vs Automated Ads What Really Works

Описание: The Truth About Manual vs Automated Ads — What Really Works

There are two types of people in advertising.

Those who swear by manual targeting — picking audiences, interests, and demographics like they’re crafting art.
And those who believe in automated campaigns, letting the algorithm do the heavy lifting.

Most founders argue about which one’s better.
But the truth? The best operators test both.

Inside one of my ad accounts, I ran both strategies side by side to see which one really performs.

Here’s what happened 👇

💡 The manual campaign — built with interest targeting — spent $180 and generated 6 sales, returning a 5.3x ROAS.
💡 The automated campaign — no interests, no manual targeting, just strong creative and smart optimization — spent $95 and brought back a 7.11x ROAS.

So what does that tell us?
Neither system is inherently better.

Manual campaigns give you control.
Automated campaigns give you scale.

If your creative is strong, Meta’s algorithm can find the right buyers faster than you can manually.
But if your audience data is solid, manual targeting can outperform automation when you understand your niche deeply.

The real secret is balance.
Test both. Track everything.
Because assumptions kill businesses faster than bad ads.

When you run both strategies, you don’t rely on hope — you rely on data.
And that’s how real marketers scale profitably.

🚀 Want to see how other brands master paid media?
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